International Organizations and the Fight Against Novel Pandemics

Varfolomeyev focuses on the role of international organizations in fighting the novel pandemics The global spread of the novel coronavirus infection has irreversibly transformed world politics Major international organizations cannot ignore these tectonic changes International "inaction" may seem unrealistic, because it is akin to criminal negligence The WHO defines a pandemic as the worldwide spread of a new disease 2 But note that this is a working (political) definition, not an international legal one The main international treaty for cooperation in health care is the International Health Regulations (IHR) This is an agreement between 196 countries, including all WHO Member States, to work together "for global health security " The IHR not only do not define a "pandemic," they do not even contain this term Under the IHR, states are required to notify the WHO of events that, according to certain criteria, may constitute an emergency